Looking back on the tournament, “It won’t be baseball if you say it’s a game in the second half.”
On the 18th (19th Japan time), the Japanese high school national team “Samurai Japan” defeated South Korea 6-2 in the 30th third-place game of the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup held in Sarasota, Florida, USA, defeating and won the bronze medal. After the match, manager Shiro Mabuchi said, “At least, I can go back to Japan now. If I didn’t have a medal, I wouldn’t be able to go home.”
In the first inning, Japan had a good chance with 1 out, 1st and 3rd base, and Yuta Utsumi, infielder (Koryo), hit Nakamae in a timely fashion and was able to take the lead. In the second inning, catcher Shion Matsuo (Osaka Toin) scored five timely points, extending his lead.
They took revenge against their arch-nemesis, South Korea, who suffered a massive 0-8 defeat in the first game of the Super Round, and won their first medal in two tournaments. After the game, Manager Mabuchi praised the Nine, saying, “There were some injuries, and I wasn’t able to use the players as I wanted.
Looking back at the tournament he challenged in the United States, he said, “The way we play is the 7 inning system. I have come to understand that the last 3 innings will be the last game. If you’ n say you’re going to play in the second half, it’s not going to be baseball. I have to think about it. I managed to get the bronze medal. It was a match I thought maybe the I will be able to use as a reference when the Japanese national team came. But at least I can go back to Japan now. If I didn’t have a medal, I would be in Japan already. I was doing it because I thought no I would be able to go home,” he said.
(Full Account editorial section)
